I received a new motherboad and P4 chip from IBM today, and will install them tonight(to hopefully correct my much talked about on ET high cpu usage problem, which oddly enough, has not been a problem the last few days). The big concern with this kind of work is apparently toasting a part with a static shock. How likely is this? Should I get one of those grounding wires you attach to your person? Thanks. Alan
alanack, You should get one of those antistatic wrist bracelet, and if you can't find one, avoid working on a rug, touch the metal part of your case before touching any computer parts. If it's the first time building your PC, you'll have a lot of fun Do a search on Google for 'how to build a PC', and you'll get a bunch of great sites showing each step. You could also go to http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20020904/index.html Cheers!
I've heard from more than one source that your case needs to be grounded for this to work (ie plugged in). Not sure on how wise that is.
Dell had to send a technician to change my motherboard a few weeks ago. All he did was unplug everything from the back of the box. Not sure if he was wearing any anti-static gear, but he didn't even take off his coat ! He had the board changed and working in about 30 minutes, no charge to me. Incidentally, the board got fried when I was trying to add more Dell memory. Not sure if it was me or the memory?? OOPS, Good thing for warranties Good luck...
Heh, the first box I built was on the Kitchen Table (no rug). I had no problems. I've even risked it and replaced many cards in my computers while they and I were on carpeting - never had a problem. As a matter of fact, I'm replacing a card now, and it's pretty dry in here - I wouldn't be surprised if !@$%&$#&( NO CARRIER
Bracelet? Uuuuuuuu don't need no stinkin' bracelet! As a tech I know it's not the thing to say, but I'll say it anyway. I never use a grounding anything. Over the years, I have built more computers than I care to think about. On and off carpets and rugs. And, also under the watchful eyes of many cats and dogs. I don't think you should worry to much about that type of issue here. Take your time, don't force the connections, and have some fun. It's ok to breathe while you put it together too!